Summary
Smart phones are ubiquitous in
our society and the always connected approach is an integral part of our
current experience. But in this brave new world 3G/4G connectivity, we are
still faced with battery power issues even in the newest devices. This article
is designed to provide some battery conservation tips for your smart phone.
Smart phones and their Battery Woes
When you buy a new phone with a
new battery, you find that the battery holds out for almost the entire day and
you can leave it for charging overnight, then pick it up in the morning and you
are good to go. But that does not last long and about 6 months down the line
you find that your cell dies by the time you leave work. Soon after, you have
to charge your phone at work and can no longer play Angry Birds during your
commute due to low battery levels. If this story sounds familiar, this article
will help you find ways to minimize your battery usage, maximize your mobility
and ensure that you continue remain “always connected”.
Dim the Screen
Since the age of laptops, this
has often been suggested and it holds true for the modern day smart phones.
Even though your phone probably is smart enough to adjust its brightness
according to lighting conditions, you are sure to get a longer battery life by
manually setting the screen brightness to the minimum level that is comfortable
for your use. Additionally, reducing the screen cut out time to 15 seconds or
less is an added bonus.
Terminate All Unnecessary Connections
Some of us do not notice if the
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS or 3G/4G connections are still running even when the
phone sits idly on the desk. These applications are a massive drain on the
battery reserves of your device. Switching them on only when required and
keeping these off at other times is a sure fire way to increase the battery
life.
Stop Using “Vibrate”
All of us that work in an office
or are often in meetings, find the vibrate function indispensable. Bad news for
us - the vibrate function can drastically decrease the battery life of your
device. The alternative to this is to use a system of lights with the cell on
silent to conserve battery power.
Hunt Down those Background Applications
All phones have applications
running in the background, which troll the internet and continuously collect
updates / notifications. By hunting down and terminating these apps, you gain a
twofold advantage- battery power conservation and smart usage of your data
plan.
Some Apps that Help
In case you are not that savvy,
find the Advanced Task Killer app online to help you terminate background tasks.
There are other apps such as Carat and JuiceDefender (for Android), which can
help ensure effective battery usage. Such Mobile Application Development is
being carried out by many an offshore Software Development Company to help extend
the battery life of smart phones. Word of caution- please read the requirements
etc. of any apps you are planning to install.
Some Miscellaneous Thoughts on the Issue
The idea of more than one phone
is not appealing to most, but I do recommend occasionally turning off the phone
and maintaining a relatively constant battery temperature to increase the
longevity of the Lithium-ion battery pack. Also the number of charging cycles
of each battery pack being limited, conserving battery power translates into an
extension of the battery life for your device. Having an extra charger at your
workplace or in your car is definitely a good idea if you work long hours,
travel a lot or play Angry Birds very often.
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